Speaker's Challenge
Mail: 21 Carlton St., Unit 3407, Toronto Ontario Canada M5B 1L3
Email: brucemsmall@gmail.com
Website: http://www.brucesmall.com


Bruce McGregor Small has been an accomplished public speaker for over half a century. Known for being a freelance irritant, Bruce's lifelong engagement with reality has led to many assignments where his speeches were meant to be at least provocative, and commonly unsettling, to established wisdom or the status quo. His current focus on helping each other think has broadened his scope of discussion to tackling virtually any topic that requires clear thought. Bruce is far from an expert in all subjects. Rather, he specializes in finding ways to think well about almost anything.

That said, Bruce can be charming, humorous, interesting, fascinating, and genuinely valuable to listen to. But his speeches are designed to enhance your own ability to think about things, rather than replace your thoughts with his own.

Much of our experience in every society has involved listening to others who have been set up as experts, whom we are supposed to revere and follow because they know better than we do. Whether teachers, politicians, consultants, or scientists, our usual error in engaging with them has been to assume that they have knowledge to deliver, that we are deficient in. Bruce is not a font of knowledge. He is a breath of clarity.

A better reason to bring in a speaker is to inspire and fulfill those who attend. To help them think more freely. To assure them that their own thoughts and viewpoints are important. To introduce new avenues of thought to stroll down and entirely new viewpoints that they might never otherwise encounter. And to model being human with each other. When Bruce speaks, people feel human contact as they get to know him.

It has taken Bruce a lifetime of experiences to build his skills on the podium. A lifetime of observation of how the world works, or doesn't. A lifetime of trial and error in making changes or improvements. A lifetime of witnessing human successes and failures socially, politically, and environmentally. A lifetime of engaging directly with both groups and individuals on many different topics, from the global to the very personal.

And he has no set speeches on standard topics. The best way to determine whether you would want to use his services as a speaker is to make contact and ask him what he would do or say in front of a group like yours. Spend some time testing out his responses to your issues and questions. Figure out how you feel when you spend time interacting with him. Then decide whether he is a match for your current needs, or not. He won't be offended if you decide to take a pass. If you do want to proceed, he will negotiate fairly until you reach an appropriate deal.

Bruce's resume is subject to change as he rediscovers old speaking engagements, but the current version can be downloaded here. If you wish to discuss a possible event, contact him here.

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